


You Don't have to be Alone

by Onlymostydead



Category: The Legend of Zelda & Related Fandoms, The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst, F/M, Gen, Guilt, Happy Ending, Lonliness, Mentioned Temporary Canon Character Death, Only Zelink if you squint
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-11-16
Updated: 2018-11-16
Packaged: 2019-08-24 14:39:03
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,052
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16642112
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Onlymostydead/pseuds/Onlymostydead
Summary: The Calamity strikes, and no one is ready for it. One by one, the Champions fall. Zelda and Link are firced to do this on their own... Until Link is killed as well.Zelda has to go to the castle on her own, expecting no help to come for a long time.





	You Don't have to be Alone

**Author's Note:**

> This was requested by tuxedoelf on tumblr. I wasn't sure exactly what you wanted, but... This is where I ran with the concept.
> 
> I am taking requests still! Especially for the Holidays <3

(Before)

Everything fell apart in that single moment Revali came back down, his face stricken with horror. Zelda knew what he saw, she knew in her heart more than her mind. A gut feeling, drowning out everything else, screaming at her that it was too late. She had already failed, and now they were just prolonging the end.  
But the darkness could still be sealed, a sliver of hope seemed to cry out. Clinging to that bit of hope seemed like all she could really do, holding on to that little bit of her that could truly believe the best.

Still, the guilt washed over her in waves. She failed on the mountain, and now they would all die because of it.

"It's here." He declared, voice wavering in that tiny way she had only been able to pick up on recently.

He was afraid. They all were.

Daruk nodded. "This is it then."

"Are you sure?" Mipha trembled.

Revali swallowed. "Positive."

Blood rushed in Zelda's ears, her heart pounding in her chest. Her throat felt swollen, tears beginning to well up in her eyes.

"It's awake," She choked. "Ganon!"

The darkness, the malice, whatever Ganon was poured over the top of the mountain, crackling and bursting as it spread over the sky. Zelda's heart seemed to miss a beat or two, her head growing light. Black spots, separate from Ganon, danced across her vision. Suddenly, she felt very faint, and quite a bit like she may vomit.

"Let's stop wasting time!" Daruk rallied them together, taking a bold step forward. "We're gonna need everything we got to take that thing down."

Still, her eyes remained fixed on the growing darkness. The darkness that swallowed up the sun. She had no power to combat it, no ability to seal it, nothing.

"Now Champions, to your Divine Beasts! Show that swirling swine who's boss!"

Despite his confidant words, Zelda still felt weak and... Cold. A growing chill dripped down her spine, making her shake and shudder.

"Link will need to meet Ganon head on when we attack! This needs to be a unified assault."

His plan flew right over her head, only half listening as Ganon reared his ugly head again, twisting over the mountains.

"Little guy! You get to Hyrule Castle."

Her home, now occupied by that... Thing. The very thing she trained all he'd life to subdue... But couldn't.

"You can count on us for support, but it's up to you to pound Ganon into oblivion!"

But none of had would matter, if she couldn't seal him away. The powers had to work together, and she couldn't harness hers. If only... But they were out of time.  
Urbosa's rough, warm hands rested gently on Zelda's trembling shoulders.

"Come. We should go, we need to get you someplace safe." She said in a soft tone, yet the taut urgency was still lingering.

"No." Zelda stepped forward, breaking contact with Urbosa's calming hands. "I'm not a child anymore. I may not be much use on the battlefield..."

She wasn't much use anywhere, really. Without her power she was... Nothing. Just another girl to be tossed aside by Ganon. Just another body to be added to his count.

She swallowed her fear. "But there must... There must be something I can do to help!"

There had to be, or she was useless and this was all just a cruel game than could have no winner. She had ruined it, for all of them. There had to be something, but the darkness was growing closer.

Her hands, held as fists by her sides, still shook despite her best efforts.

***

(After)

Pain. 

That was all Zelda had come to know in her time wrestling with Calamity Ganon, holding it back with the searing light of the Goddess. Every day it's malice gnawed into her, and her light bit into it back. It was a never ending cycle, but she had grown... Strangely accustomed to it. The sun rose and fell, the moon went through its fazes, seasons came and went.

Zelda almost didn't even register the pain, anymore. It was more an annoyance than anything else, as she watched the world go on with life below. Children were born, and they grew up, then had children of their own. Eventually they grew old, and their children had children, who had children themselves. Some died young, some died old, some seeking adventure, some searching for safety, some merely coming to a point where they reached the end of their rope.  
It never ceased to be interesting; though, it was sad watching the passing of time like this. A hundred years had gone by, and now? Now she had become used to how she watched over Hyrule from the castle, observing the people's lives below.

Ganon roared, and she shrunk down, wincing in pain. It flared up more, these days. Soon she wouldn't be able to hold the beast back.

All she could hope for was that the Goddess's hero would be coming soon.

***

(Before)

The Champions split up, each making the way to their own Divine Beast. Mipha found her way to the water and went from there, Daruk began rolling uphill at breakneck speeds, and Revali gave Urbosa a ride for part of the way, before they would eventually split directions. Zelda found herself alone, next to Link, still standing in the middle of the gateway. Ganon still writhed in the sky, but time seemed to have slowed down.

"Do you have any spare weapons?" Zelda asked, her voice tight.

Link frowned, raising his eyebrows.

"I was taught how to fight decently enough!" She added. "I know how to use a sword adequately, and Mipha and I have been drilling spear work."

Nodding, Link reached into that magical bag of his and pulled out a full-fledged royal halberd. Trying to ignore the impossibility of that action, Zelda took the weapon. It was weighty in her hands, but the presence of a way to defend herself calmed her nerves. Even though she couldn't fight Calamity Ganon with a single spear, she could get there, at the very least. Having Link there was even more comfort than the spear, though.

"Alright, let's head to the castle."

As quickly as they could, Zelda and Link jogged along the path. It was a long ways back to the castle, especially without horses, but they would make due however they could.  
Despite the dangers and fears running through Zelda's head, she focused on Link. He was doing his best to remain calm, keeping his breathing collected, running at a steady pace. And yet... Those beautiful blue eyes were full of worry, his brow drawn in a tight line of concern. He was scared. She was strangely comforted by the fact, knowing he was just as scared as she was. They were doing this together.

They made it to Kakariko, down through the path, and into the wetlands beyond. The perfect weather of before was gone, rain beginning to fall as they kept jogging. Zelda's feet were sore and battered, her breath coming in labored pants. She could only keep-

Link stopped suddenly.

"What's going-"

He held up a single finger, the signal to be quiet. Then, he readied his sword. Zelda prepared her halberd, steadying it in front of herself. The added reach was the only benefit she had, and she would have to make it count.

A flurry of activity. Three bokoblins and a moblin came at Zelda at once. As fast as she could think she stabbed the first bokoblin, cutting its throat. The second she slashed across the stomach, the third got jabbed in the face, taking out its eyes. The training with Mipha had paid off, apparently. Electricity seemed to course through Zelda's veins, the adrenaline making her feel like she was on fire.  
But the moblin had a shield. She fought him off as well as she could, slashing and hitting at him until, finally, the head of her halberd broke clean off. Zelda was left with nothing but a glorified stick to defend herself.

"Link!" She screamed, but knew he was occupied.

The sounds of battle behind her were plain to hear, lizalfos shrieking and moblins groaning in pain. Link wouldn't be able to come to her rescue.  
Thinking quickly, Zelda turned the spear around in her hands. The shaft had a sharp point at the end, perfect for jabbing. With as much strength as she could muster, she ran forward. The spear as held tight in her grip as he lunged, forcing the spear through the moblin's abdomen.   
Finally, it dissolved into a purple smoke, dampened by the rain. Still rushing forward with her momentum, Zelda crashed into the mud. Thankfully, it was soft with the rain. Her pride hurt more than anything, Zelda pulled herself to her feet.

Link was just sheathing his sword, taking a deep breath and letting it out in a great sigh.

"We should keep going." He signed, hands quick and urgent. "That spear is too broken to use, the shaft's split."

After a quick look at said spear, Zelda discarded it. "Alright, let's keep going."

That's when the ground shook for the second time. The beam of light coming from the direction of death mountain flickered, then died out. Zelda's heart fell, her whole body going cold.

"But that could only mean-"

Link but his lip, holding back tears. Silently, he reached for her hand.

"Daruk." She whispered, her throat swelling, but tears refusing to fill her eyes. "We have to go."

They had only taken four paces when the ground shook again, more violently this time, and with the striking of lighting and the roar of thunder. Zelda could barely bring herself to look, but the light from the Gerudo region had been put out too.

"Not Urbosa!" She cried. "It can't be-" Swallowing, she grasped Link's hand tighter. "We have to make it there."

The rains surged, shaking the ground so violently that Link fell to his knees for a moment. She didn't have to look to know, but Zelda knew that Mipha's light had been snuffed out too.  
When the winds blew hard, the earth shaking beneath their feet, Zelda was chilled to the bone. It was nighttime, by now, and she was thoroughly exhausted. It hadn't set in yet, that all her friends, all the champions, were gone. That was the only thing the lights could mean.

She failed them. She failed all of them if only she could have- no. She failed them and there was nothing she could do.   
In the distance, across the plains, she could see guardians storming a village. They shot down people with the same ruthless accuracy she studied, the weapons she was so fascinated by turned against her own people.

There was nothing she could do. She failed them all. Casting one final glance behind her, Zelda looked at the burning wreckage and-

Her hand slipped from Link's, and she fell into the mud. 

Sitting there, cold, alone, wet, nearly bare save for the clothes she wore to worship the goddess who betrayed her, Zelda felt tears begin to well up in her eyes. 

"How..." She choked, biting her lip. "How did it come to this?"

Link was standing in front of her now, but Zelda couldn't bring herself to look up at him. He, the closest one to her, was one of the people she had failed. His friends were all dead... Because of her.

He knelt down in front of her.

"The Divine Beasts..." She blinked. "The Guardians... They've all turned against us."

In a moment of near hysteria, she almost laughed. Thankfully, the noise was breathy and soundless. The feeling in her chest pounded, insisting she was crazy.

"It was..." She choked. "Calamity Ganon. It turned them all against us!"

Looking down at her hands in the mud, she curled them into fists. The Goddess bracelets were still on her wrists, and she wanted nothing more than to throw them into the woods. This Goddess who she worshiped from birth who betrayed her, who let all her friends but one die, and for what?

"And everyone-" Slowly, she lifted her head to look at Link. "Mipha, Urbosa, Revali, and Daruk- they're trapped inside those things..."

She knew they were dead. The Divine Beasts couldn't be controlled any other way. 

"It's all my fault!" Tears began to flow freely, so she buried her face in her hands to hide. "Our only hope for defeating Ganon is lost all because I couldn't harness this cursed power!"

"Everything- everything I've done up until now..."

The late nights spent praying, the freezing water, the endless travel and prayer cycling through over and over. The chants, the rituals, the divination, every night she spent crying at her mother's grave-

"It was all for nothing." Her father's voice rang in her head. "So I really am just a failure!"

"All my friends... The entire kingdom... My father most of all..." She choked on her tears, a sob building in her throat. "I tried, and I failed them all."

"I've left them all to die."

That was the final straw. The sob building in Zelda's throat finally came out in wretched crying, her shoulders shaking and tears flooding from her eyes. Collapsing onto Link was the only thing she could do, holding on to the last friend she had left in the world.

Calamity Ganon hit the castle first, after all. Everyone she knew, her father... They were most likely dead already.

So Link held her as she cried, sobbing for all that she failed to save.

***

(After)

The pain was getting to be agony now. The occasional roaring outburst had changed to be periodic, coming to attack every Blood Moon. That was when the monsters rose, brought back by Ganon's constant hatred. The same hatred that ate away at her body, as her light fought it back. She couldn't keep this up much longer, that was for sure, but the Blood Moon wasn't for a while yet. Zelda scanned her eyes over the kingdom, eventually coming to rest on the Great Plateau.

She made a noise somewhere between a laugh and a sob. There, dressed in a rough-hewn cloak, was a man chopping down a tree. His hood was on over most of his face, but she recognized what was visible, plain as day. His hooked nose, sour lips, and bushy white beard matched only one person: her father.   
Of course, it couldn't be him. Her father died; she knew because she had seen the body so long ago, before it was torn apart by monsters and left to decompose. There had been a hundred years to grieve, to come to terms with his death. Still, seeing this man who looked so much like him felt like a slap in the face.   
Deciding to take a closer look, she peered into his cottage. It was a run down place, with a little table, some barrels, and a young man sleeping curled up in the bed. A grandson, she presumed, or maybe an apprentice of some sort. How interesting.

She swore his messy head of blonde curls looked like Link's, but she couldn't bear the thought. It was likely just seeing the man who looked so much like her father, forcing her to think about the past. Putting that away from herself, Zelda gazed elsewhere across Hyrule.

Even after a hundred years, some grief still lived on.

***

(Before)

By the time they reached Fort Hateno, having abandoned all ideas of reaching the castle, the only weapon they had left was the Master Sword. Link had no potions left, no special 'last resort' dishes, nothing. Zelda was running out of hope even before she saw how the field was swarming with guardians. They would never make it halfway through the field, let alone into the fort's walls.   
Link, beside her, panted. He had been doing the majority of the fighting, being the trained knight, and it was taking its toll on him. Even though Zelda had seen his skill firsthand, the swarms of lynels he had killed, or the dens of moblins, she knew he had limits. The emotional hurt of the day combined with the monsters combined with the stress of getting somewhere safe was getting to him.

"Are you alright?" Zelda asked, simply because she couldn't think of anything else to say.

Link nodded, his face twisted into a grimace.

Small cuts and scrapes from little battles were scattered all over his body, but they didn't have the time to treat them now. They had to get to the fort. Once they were there medical supplies could be obtained, then he could be fixed up. But for now? There was only so much they could do.

"Here." Zelda ripped off the bottom of the hemline of her dress, wrapping it around one of Link's worse cuts: a large gouge on his left arm. "That should be a bit better."

He nodded, then, tears welling up in his eyes, he almost smiled. "We're going to make it through this."

The look on his face made it sound like a question, even though Link didn't sign it that way. 

"Yes, we are." Zelda assured him, placing a hand on his shoulder. "We'll make it, then I'll bandage up your wounds, and you mine. Then, once we're ready, we'll take down Ganon."

Link smiled, tears spilling as he covered his mouth. "Thank you, Zelda."

"You had best believe me." She added. "We'll make it. You'll see." Wringing her hands, Zelda peered out over the field. "Shall we try to make it to that rock there?"

Link nodded, and they surged forward as one. Quickly, they darted from cover to cover, finding place after place to hide.

Then the red beam of a guardians eye found its way to Link's chest.

***

(After)

Things were coming to an end. 

For better or for worse, Zelda knew that much was true. Towers and shrines had sprung up, ones that weren't there before. She longed to study them, but knew that she could not from this kind of vantage point.   
Still, she looked as close as possible at the stable nearest to the Dueling Peaks. They hadn't been called that back in her day, there had just been one mountain there, but that wasn't the point. The tower was clearly Sheikah in design, with a guidance stone fixed in the center. It was amazing, even just looking at it stationary.

Until someone began to climb the base. 

Wind whipped at their clothes, tugging at the short cape attached to their hood, rippling through the bit of blonde hair that managed to escape. Nevertheless, they persisted. At near impossible speed they jumped from platform to platform, resting on each one only long enough to catch their breath.  
Zelda wondered if they would study it, discovering the secrets of this newly arisen tower. She herself was dying to know, to look inside and figure it out. The subtle orange light coming from inside reminded her so much of the guardians, though, that it made her heart ache. The glowing blues and oranges... It was painful.

The figure finally pulled themself up onto the top of the tower, and-

Wait. 

Was that the Sheikah Slate?

Zelda could swear it was, she knew that was what it had to be. Where had they found it? Even after all these years it was still operational, turning on as they slid it off their belt. They touched it to the docking point, and...

The tower seemed to come alive, the top rising to its full height, the base turning a bright blue, and the guidance stone powering up with a pinging, beeping noise. The information finished distilling with a drop of thick liquid, seeping into the Sheikah Slate. 

The person took off their hood as they reached for the stone, and-

Zelda swore it was him.

It couldn't be. 

She froze.

***

(Before)

Before Zelda could even scream, Link was reacting. He grabbed her wrist and dragged them both behind a wall.

"Stay here." Link signed, then surged out into the open.

"Link!"

She could hear the sound of crashing metal, glancing blows and whirring machinery. Squeezing her eyes shut, she tried her best to pray. It was impossible, tucked behind a wall like this, surrounded by enemies she had studied for so long but could not fight, seeing the bodies of the soldiers who had been stationed here littering the ground. It was hopeless, they were helpless here.

But Link came back around the corner, a little singed, but okay. He nodded, and they kept moving forward. Around the walls and rocks, tucked into trees and training formations. Wherever they could find cover, they tucked themselves in. Not for long, of course, they always had to keep themselves moving.  
They had to get out of danger, to rest so that they could face the beast itself. Calamity Ganon. Link would beat it down with his sword, and Zelda would seal it away. That was how they always thought of it, of course. It sounded so simple when they didn't take into account the fact that the wretched power would not-

Link pushed Zelda against a wall, then dashed back out into the open. She could hear the guardian's footsteps, but only barely over the sound of her own pounding heart. Metal scraped against metal, then-

The sound of the lazer firing once.

Then again.

Then again.

The grass a couple yards away from her feet was burning. She still couldn't see Link, but the sound of blows finding their mark persisted. Never in her life did Zelda think she would thank someone for destroying the Guardians, but that was their only option. The machine exploded with a loud bang, a spray of parts, and Link hobbled back to her.

He looked terrible. His leg was bleeding badly, his hair matted with blood on his left side. A wound on his right side still smoldered and burned.

"Link!" She rushed forward, tearing off another strip of her dress. "We have to get you somewhere safe, come on!"

He shook his head, his foggy eyes blinking. "I'll be okay. We need to keep moving."

Zelda finished tying the cloth around his thigh, then they kept moving. This time she was in the lead, drawing him forward. Still monsters attacked them, a few bokoblins, a moblin or two, but Link dispatched them fairly easily. Though, she couldn't help but notice how his sword arm seemed to droop. Link was moving more slowly now than he was before, and he was taking minor hits where otherwise he wouldn't. She had to get him to safety.

That's when she came face to face with a guardian's eye, staring her down in its sights.

Link threw himself in front of her, and collapsed to his knees

***

(After)

The person on the tower couldn't be Link, but he was... He was too much like Link to be a coincidence. His face, his hair, his body - everything was the same now that she realized. How hadn't she seen that? It was the same young person she had seen sleeping in the old man's bed, the old man who looked like her father.

Zelda knew that ghosts were real, but she never considered that they would walk so freely around Hyrule now. Her only question was how Link, as a ghost, had activated that tower. It didn't make any sense! He was dead, he had to be dead.

She held him as he died. She held him in her arms as he began to grow cold. Gently, she had arranged his body in a respectful way then forced herself on. His eyes weren't that bright, lively blue anymore because she closed them for the last time.

For the first time in nearly a hundred years, Zelda began to cry. She could feel the pain increasing as she lost hope, but there was nothing she could do.

She held this position, holding back Ganon, for a hundred years, and she would have to hold it for hundreds more, until she wasted away to nothing.

Though, from the feeling of it, it wouldn't be long before she was gone too.

***

(Before)

"Go, Link! Save yourself!" Zelda pulled at his shoulder, begging him. "I'll be fine, don't worry about me!"

Link shook his heavy head.

"Run!"

As if pulled by an invisible force, Link drew himself up to his feet, readying his sword. His arms shook, his legs swayed, and Zelda could see how he labored to keep his eyes open. The strips of cloth from her dress were soaked through with blood.  
He staggered, standing in front of her before-

"No!"

And everything went white.

***

(After)

No matter how hard she tried, Zelda couldn't call this... Person, roaming Hyrule anything but Link. Whoever he was, he certainly acted like him. After he climbed that tower he went to others, climbing them and gaining the information from their stones. He conquered shrines, killed monsters, and-

Restored Divine Beasts to their side.

It was Link. It was actually him. Only Link could- or a new hero, chosen by the Goddess. The hero was always described the same way, maybe he just looked the same.  
But no, he showed Robbie the scars he had on his body, ones that lined up with the condition in which they had seen his corpse. Those were fatal injuries, great amounts of burned tissue and blood loss. And yet...

He was still alive. Zelda didn't know why, or how, or anything really except that he was alive. Finally, she wasn't totally alone. She had one last friend in the world who would come to-

Of course. He was taking the shrines, the towers, the Divine Beasts. He was coming to save her, to finally beat Calamity Ganon down into submission so that she could properly seal him away. She had only been able to hold him back these hundred years, not truly locking him down.  
But now... Things would be different. After so long in pain, so long fighting against the malice, she could breathe again. 

After so long... She had hope.

***

(Before)

A searing light shot out from Zelda's outstretched hand, taking the form of three triangles all stacked together. The symbol of the Goddess, she noticed in passing, but light had her frozen in place. A shockwave traveled outward, hitting each guardian around them and...

Each one, one after the other, collapsed and went dead silent. Smoke, pink and black intermingled like Calamity Ganon itself, poured from their joints, then dissipated into the sky.

"Was that..." Zelda stared down in shock at her own hand where the symbol appeared. "The power..?"

The image of Link flashed in her mind, and she turned around only to see him collapsed on the ground. He was bleeding heavily, his eyes half open. She could hear his breath in short, raspy gasps.

"No, no..."

She cradled him in her arms, pulling him up into a half sitting position. He gave two pathetic coughs, trying fruitlessly to clear his lungs.

"Link, get up! You're going to be fine..."

His head went slack, eyes rolling backward as his body went limp. Holding back tears, Zelda put her ear to his chest. One final beat, and then... Nothing.   
Sobs wracked her body as she clung to him, trying to pretend that he would get up. All the others, they were far away, maybe just trapped, but Link... He had to be alive he couldn't-

She choked, struggling to breathe in all the smoke. 

Slowly, she forced herself back to her feet. Link may be dead, the Champions may be gone, but that didn't mean she was. Carefully, gently as she could, Zelda arranged his body. Feet together, hands clasped, blank blue eyes closed. He would look peaceful, almost, if it wasn't for his injuries. As it was, that was the best she could do.  
Sucking in a deep breath, she reached down and took the sword. She still remembered the clearing, that open space in the lost woods that housed the Master Sword. The Sword that Seals the Darkness, the sword only Link could wield. She took it by the hilt, took another breath, and began to run. 

Just because the Guardians were still now, didn't mean they would stay that way. As fast as she could she rushed to the fort, locating the stables and searching for a horse. There, in the corner, was a single, scared mare.  
Calming the beast proved strangely easy, but Zelda praised the Goddess for it. She put a bridle and saddle on, mounted her, and flicked the reigns. The mare seemed as eager to run as she was to get where she needed to go.

Next stop, the Lost Woods.

***

(After)

Link had conquered all of the Divine Beasts, now. Zelda watched him closely as he came and went, solving people's problems, no matter how big or small. He saved people from monsters, helped kids find their parents, and gave people what they needed. It was... Strangely familiar.  
Zelda supposed he had always been like this, at heart. Gentle. Calm. He moved with urgency, but still stopped to help. She had no doubt that he wouldn't rest until the whole world had no issues left in it. For a man who wielded a legendary sword, he surely did hate conflict.

Maybe that's what she liked about him so much. He was a person first, a soldier second, unlike so many others. He didn't violate his beliefs in a fight just because someone told him to. It was an underrated type of courage, she thought.  
Link would stop to talk to people, asking questions in his sign language, as always. These days, it always seemed to be the same question.

"Do you know where the legendary sword is?"

Most people said no, but some had heard things. One man said it was up north, another said it was hidden in the woods. Yet another said he had found the legendary weapon, but it was no sword; it was a torch. Link and Zelda both had to hold back laughter. Still, he had to ask everyone he came in contact with. Until, finally, he came to the Woodland Stable.   
Zelda saw how he gazed further up the path, towards the Lost Woods. She knew that was where he was headed. The final thing he had to do to prove who he was: claim the Master Sword.

So he set out in the early morning hours, and Zelda whispered a prayer.

***

(Before)

"Your next master will come for you, until then you will rest here." 

Zelda whispered to the sword as she lay it down on the stone. It seemed only right, after all. Link had always talked about how it seemed to have its own mind. Chipped and cracked as the blade was, it still deserved respect.

"Though I do not know who it will be, I hope he will arrive for you soon."

Eyes closed, she clasped her hands in front of her chest. On her knees like this it was like a prayer. Please, please let someone come for the sword soon. She didn't know how long she would be able to hold out.

"If I may be so bold... What is it that you are planning to do next, Princess?"

The Great Deku Tree's voice startled her, looking up at his large face. The tree was the protector of the sword, she knew, but she had never heard him speak.  
Staring down at the sword, she could sense what it wanted. What Hylia wanted. She knew from a tugging in her chest, the same kind of feeling that came with the light.

"The Master Sword... I heard it talk to me." She declared, standing up fully. "It seems that my role is unfinished. There is still something I must do."

"I sense there is great strength in your dedication." He said finally, with almost a sad smile. 

She stared down at the ground, at the sword there. "Thank you."

Carefully, she reached down and picked up the sword once more. Taking a deep breath, she held it up, and stabbed it down into the stone. A shock of light shone forth, then quieted. The Great Deku Tree closed his mouth once more.

"Now, to Hyrule Castle."

***

(After)

Link retrieved the sword with little trouble, all its chips and dull parts smooth and sharp again. The blade had been restored in full... Just like Link himself.

He wasted no time now, jumping on her horse, the descendant of her own steed, and riding down. Deep in her heart, she knew his destination.

Hyrule Castle. He was coming for her.

***

(Before)

Zelda remounted her horse and began on her way back to the castle. Clenching her hands into fist, anytime a monster came too close it evaporated into light, the smoke of malice dissolving into the night sky. The symbol of the Goddess, the Triforce, burned hot on the back of her hand.

She was ready for this. She would face Ganon and win.

Castle Town was nothing but steaming wreckage and tortured screams, but she couldn't stop now. If she did her shaking legs would carry her no closer. No, she had to keep going. Even though she was afraid, this was what she had to do. One foot in front of the other, her dress whipping about her legs from the wind Calamity Ganon was generating.  
This was always her part of the plan, after all. When everyone else did what they had to do, she would seal Ganon away.

For as long as she could.

The grand entrance doors were already thrown wide open, so into the castle she walked. Surprisingly, as she kept moving, she was filled with a strange sense of confidence. Duty might have been a better word, but she couldn't know for sure. This was the end of things, the end of life as she knew it, so she may as well make it count.

Zelda marched up the stairs, past monsters who dissolved when they looked at her without even enough time to scream. She followed the smoke as it whisked itself away, up the halls and across the battlements. Her heart beat steadily in her chest, a solid rhythm as she moved forward. Eyes trained ahead, she pushed open the door to the sanctum.

Here was the center, the core of where Calamity Ganon was located. No physical part of him remained here, only trails of smoke and wisps of ash. 

Holding up her hand to the sky, Zelda watched the Triforce burn brighter, until she squeezed her eyes shut to protect them. The light poured forward, unrestricted, unbound, so much stronger than it was before.

Mipha, Urbosa, Revali, and Daruk- all of their faces crossed her mind. She knew they were dead now. There was no doubt in her mind. 

Link, where his body lay destroyed in the grass. 

Her kingdom.

Her people.

Her family.

Her friends.

Her love.

With a shout Zelda clasped her hand into a fist, and everything went black.

***

(After)

But now, Zelda thought, Calamity Ganon was sealed away for good. Link had done his part to take the beast down, and she finished it off. The Champions souls were finally free, her father put to rest. Everyone she had failed, everything that has gone wrong, made right.

Tears welled up in her eyes as she looked at Link, standing there in front of her, real as could be.

"Tell me one thing, Link." She whispered, looking down at the grass. "Is it really you?"

In an instant Zelda was wrapped up in his arms, squeezing her tight as if to never let go. She was surprised to hear him crying too.

"We did it, Link." She choked. "It's finally over."

He nodded, still holding on. They wouldn't let go of each other for a long time; not until the sun had set and they needed to get something to eat. Life had to go on, after all.

And they didn't have to go on alone.

**Author's Note:**

> I'm on Tumblr at Supertinywords, come chat! It's fun.
> 
> Comments are love <3


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